Committed to making India a regional MRO hub: Boeing Defence India MD

Parent company Boeing leveraging Indian assets for cutting-edge R&D, investing to meet growing demand for new pilots in South Asia

Global aviation and defence major Boeing has had an engineering presence in India since 2009. In the past 15 years, it has secured orders for major military platforms and aligned itself with the "Make in India" initiative. Against this backdrop, Boeing Defence India Managing Director Nikhil Joshi, in an interview with Bhaswar Kumar, speaks of the growth witnessed by the sourcing ecosystem in India and local research and development (R&D) goals. Edited excerpts:

How large is your Indian supplier base?  

Boeing's commitment to fostering and empowering the supplier network in the Indian aerospace and defence sector is fundamental to our supply chain strategy in India. Our annual sourcing from India has risen over a decade from $250 million to $1.25 billion annually, of which close to 70 per cent is contributed by manufacturing. At the same time, our supplier network has expanded by two times to over 300 today -- making us the largest foreign original equipment manufacturer (OEM) exporter from India. Notably, over a quarter of these partners are micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which are integral to our global supply chain. This growth is propelled by significant advancements in quality and capability along the value curve, transitioning from simple assemblies to more complex ones, including new technologies like full-size determinant assembly (FSDA), which further employs advanced manufacturing technologies such as robotics, and advanced materials like composites and thermoplastics. We have launched multiple qualifications and development programmes with Indian suppliers cutting across aerospace-grade raw materials, standards, interiors and structures. 

What are your goals for local research and development (R&D)?  

Boeing has had an engineering presence in the country since 2009 and Boeing India Engineering & Technology Centre (BIETC) was formally established in 2016. Today, over 5,500 BIETC engineers across Bengaluru and Chennai contribute not just to India's growth, but also global aerospace growth by delivering cutting-edge R&D, innovation, and high-quality engineering work supporting Boeing's defence, space, and commercial businesses. Boeing has also invested $200 million in a new 43-acre state-of-the-art wholly-owned engineering and technology campus in Bengaluru, which was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is Boeing's largest facility of its kind outside the United States (US). The centre currently houses Boeing's engineering, test, research and technology, information technology and digital analytics teams. These technologists undertake high-quality, advanced aerospace work and offer engineering expertise across Boeing's businesses, spanning engineering design of structures and systems, manufacturing support, developing systems to test our aircraft, and providing digital solutions to our airline customers. Cutting-edge R&D in traditional and emerging areas is performed at the centre, including next-generation airplane health management, environment-friendly coatings, advanced networks and secure communications. Our teams there leverage new-age technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet-of-Things, Cloud, Model-Based Engineering, and Additive Manufacturing to enhance quality, safety, and productivity. 

How is the company participating in the 'Make in India' initiative? 

Boeing is a proud supporter of the Make in India initiative, which is central to our long-term strategy in India. As I said before, our sourcing from India is now $1.25 billion annually. Boeing also partners with the highest number of Indian suppliers, including many MSMEs. We also have the broadest and most capable engineering teams in the country, and we are committed to further growth. Our 80-year commitment to India's aerospace and defence sector makes us a reliable partner for supporting the Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India vision. Specific to the defence sector, we have established Boeing Defence India (BDI), an Indian entity, to meet the sustainment requirements of the Indian defence forces and to address the tremendous potential of indigenous and co-development opportunities in the country. At BDI, we are fully invested in the progressive development of in-country capabilities, which are aligned with the goals of the Make in India initiative and leverage the significant technical legacy and expertise of the global Boeing organisation. 

How are things progressing on the sustainment front? 

Boeing Defence India's integrated logistics support and long-term performance based logistics (PBL) solutions for platforms such as the P-8I maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft, Apache attack helicopter, and Chinook military transport helicopter promise to provide the same high level of availability currently provided to the Indian Air Force C-17 fleet through our Globemaster Integrated Support Programme (GISP). Additionally, through the Boeing India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) programme, we have partnered with customers and local industry to establish maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities, supporting India's aspiration to become an MRO hub for the region. Today, Boeing has the most MRO partners in the country working on defence and civil aviation. We have built world-class MRO facilities at Nagpur for Air India and at Hindon for the C-17. In 2022, as part of the BIRDS initiative, Air Works successfully concluded Phase-32 maintenance checks on six P-8I aircraft operated by the Indian Navy. Three of them were in heavy maintenance checks concurrently, demonstrating maturity and scale at par with developed global MRO hubs. Boeing also completed the construction of the Ashok Roy Training Simulator Complex at the Indian naval air station, INS Rajali, in Arakkonam and handed over the facility to the Indian Navy. This 60,000 square feet facility, operational since April 2022, enables the Indian Navy to practice operational missions, complex military scenarios, and training for the P-8I. It is the first of its kind in Asia, making India only the fourth country to have a P-8 simulator, alongside the US, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Boeing also recently inaugurated the new India Distribution Centre in Khurja, Uttar Pradesh, to provide efficient and cost-effective service solutions to regional customers. To meet the forecasted demand for 40,000 pilots, 40,000 maintenance technicians, and 49,000 cabin crew over the next 20 years in South Asia, Boeing also announced a $100 million investment in infrastructure and training programmes in India. This investment will support the growing demand for new pilots driven primarily by India's expanding aviation sector.